


Trucidamus

by orphan_account



Series: The Serial Killer AU [1]
Category: Saints Row
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, Like seriously dark, M/M, i have no excuses for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 20:44:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6024070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saints Row, now with way too many serial killers.</p><p>The Boss and Johnny are serial killers, but now there's a new player in town.<br/>No matter how it ends, it will end in blood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. odīre

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> odire: Latin.  
> To hate

Tai Lau, the Boss of the Saints, sat on the sofa and watched Johnny pace, all sharp beauty and deadly grace, stalking across the room, eyes flashing above his shades. “Fuckin' bullshit!” The words fell like knives from his lips. Crumpled in his hand was the newspaper that had set him off, the headline screaming 'Stilwater Slasher Strikes Again!' the article filled with speculation and tremulous fear. “We were here first!”

Tai got up from the sofa, grabbing at Johnny's arm, enough force that Johnny paused and looked at him. “We'll stop him, yeah? Kill him?” Tai couldn't keep the eagerness out of his voice; he'd not been able to do anything since waking up from the coma and his bones itched with the need to tear someone apart.

“We'll rip his fuckin' throat out!” Johnny bared his teeth and Tai leaned up to kiss him.

“We'll leave him begging by the time we're done.” Tai agreed, and he knew that killing this poacher was suddenly the most important thing for the two of them, bigger even than taking back the city that was theirs by right of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fully realise that this is not everyone's cup of tea. The next chapter is going to be darker, so you've been warned.


	2. īnsidiāmur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> insidiamur: Latin.  
> We lay in wait, lurk; ambush

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Find the poacher, stop him, and kill him slowly. In actuality, it sucked. The night air was muggy and still, sticking to Tai's skin and coating his lungs with moisture. The only movement came from the buzzing wings of the mosquitoes that plagued Stilwater in the summer. Tai grumbled silently and wiped sweat from his forehead again, waiting for the third night for the poacher to show up. If tonight followed the pattern of the last two nights, nothing would happen. At most Tai would come across another Samedi drug deal again and kill the dealer, but that was business and not pleasure. Bullets lacked the same satisfaction.

Just as he was about to give up and go home, empty handed and frustrated, a noise made him pause from where he'd concealed himself behind a dumpster. Tai resisted the urge to hold his breath and instead simply waited, hoping that it wasn't just a hobo. It wasn't. What it was was a fairly tall and broad-shouldered man, dragging a body behind him.

Tai didn't think, just leapt out of the shadows, tackling the man and causing him to drop his latest victim, which fell to the ground with a wet thud. The man managed to escape Tai's grasp and he instead turned the hold against Tai, reacting with panicked strength, using his greater muscle mass to pin Tai to the dirty concrete. He peered down at Tai, eyes wide and Tai couldn't help it, he started laughing, watching the man react with fear and then anger, fists tightening in Tai's shirt. But before the man could say anything, ask Tai what was so funny, Johnny tackled him, sending him sprawling to the ground while Tai scrambled back to his feet.

There was a brief struggle, ending with Johnny kneeling on the poacher's back, one hand white knuckled in his hair, wrenching his head back. Casually, Tai flicked out a knife and pressed it to the poacher's throat. Wide, brilliantly blue eyes glared up at him, fear mostly masked by anger and acceptance.

“Do it.”

Five minutes ago, Tai would have cut the man's throat and done so gladly, without thinking about it. But something about the poacher made him want to reconsider, something about the brilliant blue of his eyes and the timbre of his voice. A glance at Johnny confirmed it. Johnny was shifting on the man, gradually moving off of him, his grip loosening in the man's hair.

Instead, the two of them let the man stand up, watching him for movement. The man didn't do anything other than gingerly get up, keeping his shoulders hunched defensively against the probability of another attack. He was tall, and if it weren't for the fact that Tai had caught him in the act, or the darkness in his eyes, Tai wouldn't have spared a second glance to him. He looked like nothing more than your average businessman, all respectable and stuff. Looked like he should be wearing three-piece suits, not dirty t-shirts and jeans spattered with drying blood.

Tai flicked the knife around his hand, nonchalantly letting it dance across his fingers. “You're poaching,” he said, watching confusion crystallize into realization on the man's face.

“That means you gotta fuck off,” Johnny added helpfully from where he stood behind the man.

Tai squirreled the knife away, cross his arms in front of him. “We were here first.”

The man shrugged, jamming his hands into his jeans pocket, doing his best to radiate carelessness. “Thought you were dead,” he shrugged again, the motion drawing Tai's eye downward, prompting him to an entirely new course of action.

“Not yet,” Tai uncrossed his arms and stepped closer, letting the knife flick out again, dancing it across the man's body. “But what you thought don't change the facts; you're poaching.”

To his credit, the man didn't try to shrink away from the knife, didn't give any outward signs of discomfort, but simply stayed still as Tai ghosted the knife ever downward, not breaking eye contact with the man. The man swallowed slightly as the knife's trajectory paused, over the bulge in his jeans, a growing heat in his eyes as he stared back at Tai, eyes darting briefly to Tai's mouth.

Impulsively, Tai lunged forward and grabbed the back of the man's neck, pulling him down into a rough kiss, all teeth and the intoxicating taste of copper. The man didn't hold back, but kissed Tai back just as fiercely, a hand coming up to try to rest in Tai's hair, only for Tai to break off the kiss and put the knife back to the man's throat.

“No touching.” The man just nodded and let Tai capture his mouth in another rough kiss, groaning as Tai bit down again, harder than before. Tai finally broke off the kiss, licking the blood from his teeth as he grinned. Johnny took that as a cue, spinning the man and kissing him, maneuvering him backwards, until he was up against the rough brick of the alleyway. One of Johnny's hands wrapped around the man's throat as he ground against him, the man already gasping underneath Johnny. Johnny removed his hand to bite at the man's neck, quickly sucking a dark mark before pulling back slightly, grabbing the man's thin t-shirt and removing it, halfway stepping to the side to throw it into the muggy darkness of the night.

Tai stepped forward, into the space created, capturing a nipple between his teeth, worrying at it as he ran his free hand everywhere he could reach. The man was in better shape that he would have thought for an office drone, all lean muscle and deadly intent. The man whined as Tai's hand got lower and he couldn't keep the grin off his face as he pried himself off.

Johnny grabbed at the man's hips again, turning him once more until he was in the corner between the dumpster and rough brick of the wall, one hand finding it's way to the man's jean button, opening them and pushing them as far down as he could. There was just enough space for Tai to kneel in front of the man, to nose at his strained boxers, mouthing at the damp fabric and feeling the man's hips buck toward him. Rather than bother with actually removing the boxers, Tai just cut them off the man, using just enough pressure that the tip of his knife skipped across the man's skin. The man squirmed further, but didn't do anything else as Tai freed his cock, keeping one hand wrapped around the base.

It took a lot of self control for Tai not to just stop and stare; the man was pierced, several times, a row of barbells stark against his flushed skin, a drop of precum already beading at the slit. That, at least, Tai knew how to deal with, flicking his tongue out to lap at it before abruptly swallowing the man whole, making sure to swirl his tongue around the tip, playing with the barbells there. The man gasped, bucking his hips again, only for Johnny to grab at them, whispering something in the man's ear. Tai couldn't hear what Johnny said, but the man became incredibly still, even as Johnny's hand wandered lower and his mouth sucked another dark bruise on the man's neck.

Johnny withdrew from Tai's, admittedly limited, field of vision and the man tensed up again, arching his back and moaning, the sound startlingly loud in the near silence of the night. Tai would have been worried about being discovered if it weren't for the fact that he _knew_ this area of Stilwater was abandoned at this time of night.

The way the man panted, leaning forward to grab at the dumpster, pressing his hips backwards was enough for Tai to know what was going on, as was the way Johnny suddenly reappeared behind the man, pants pushed down. Johnny thrust, hard enough that the man moved as well, forcing the back of Tai's head against the dumpster. Tai pushed back, swallowing the man further, until his nose rested against the man's stomach, sucking in tandem with Johnny's thrusts.

Just as the man was about to come, Tai pulled off, wrapping his hand punishingly tight around the man's dick, watching as his hips bucked into thin air as Johnny withdrew as well, a smirk clear on his lips. A bitten off shout escaped the man lips as he slumped against the dumpster, hands not moving from where he'd clamped them on it.

“Not yet,” Tai said against the skin of the man's stomach, releasing his hand after several long minutes, coming to stand next to the man, idly flicking the knife across the man's skin. The man whined again as Tai did, and Tai repeated the process, watching how the man shivered under his knife.

Johnny grabbed the man by the hair, forcing him upright as he resumed thrusting. Taking advantage of the new position, Tai traced the knife alone the man's body, varying the pressure but never using enough to draw more than tiny beads of blood, ruby in the dim orange glow of the distant single streetlight. There was no pattern, no deeper meaning to his movements, just random scrawls here and there, a design more ancient and instinctual than anything called tribal could ever be. Blood and power and sex all intertwined on a few lines of skin.

The man tensed and Johnny pulled away again, smirking as the man literally begged, 'pleases' and 'oh fucks' dropping from his lips like blood, hips bucking into the air once more. Languidly, Tai ran his knife along the man's piercings, listening to the clink of metal against metal as the man squirmed, desperate for any sort of friction. Once Tai was certain that the man wasn't going to come anytime soon, he crouched back down, licking along the barbells again, tracing a vein with his tongue, not doing anything more than tease.

Slowly, Johnny worked back up to the same punishing pace he'd set before, snapping his hips into the man. Tai was fairly certain the only things keeping the man upright was the fact that Johnny had a death grip on the man's hips, fingers digging in deep enough to undoubtedly leave bruises. A random assortment of noises were escaping the man's mouth, pleas and curses and groans of something that could be pleasure or could be pain.

Tai wrapped his lips around the man's dick again, swallowing him whole, finally deciding to take pity on him, bobbing his head as best he could. Johnny seemed to get with the picture, thrusting deeply into the man, sheathing himself completely before withdrawing fully, only to repeat the process. Within a few heartbeats, the man was tensing, coming down Tai's throat with a strangled gasp. Tai swallowed it down as Johnny fucked the man through the aftershocks, coming with a strangled grunt soon after. It was only after Johnny withdrew from the man that Tai did as well, releasing the man's cock, giving it one final lick as he did.

Standing up, Tai was reminded of just how hard he was, of how much watching Johnny wreck this interloper had affected him. Tai reached up and pressed the shoulders of the man down, until he was on his knees in front of Tai. Roughly, Tai pressed the man's head forward, until he got the hint, hands carefully coming up to unbutton Tai's jeans and pull down his pants and underwear in one swift motion, pressing kisses along his length.

The man was sloppy but enthusiastic enough to make up for it, his eyes not leaving Tai's face as he licked from base to tip before slowly taking Tai into his mouth. As soon as he had, Tai began fucking the tight heat of the man's mouth, tangling his hands tight in the man's hair, the knife falling to the ground. His hands kept the man still, but Tai wasn't actually looking at the man, but Johnny instead. The way Johnny smirked as he watched Tai, occasionally diverting his attention to use Tai's knife to keep drawing abstract patterns on the man's skin. As Tai drew closer, he glanced back down at the man's face, only to see that the man's eyes were fixed on his, heat and lust evident in his blue eyes. It was enough to push Tai over the edge, swearing as he found his release.

Johnny kissed him as he came, Tai gasping into Johnny's mouth, hands still tight in the other man's hair, not letting him pull off until Tai was totally done. Finally, Tai let go of the man, to come stand next to Johnny, both of them pulling their pants up as they did.

“Take care of this,” Tai said, nudging the body that the man had been dragging with a toe. “And don't let us catch you poaching again.”

The two of them didn't say anything else, just walked away from the man, hands hovering over weapons just in case, not relaxing until they were both in the car they'd stolen, driving away from the area. It wasn't until they were back in the parking area outside Tai's shitty basement apartment that Tai broke the silence.

“Well, he _did_ beg.”

Johnny laughed at that, a sharp noise in the semi-silence of a city at night, grabbing at Tai and dragging him up and over the center console until he was straddling Johnny's lap. Johnny reached up, pulling Tai down into a kiss, slow and deep. “'ll make you beg.”

“'d like to see you try,” Tai said, managing to open the car door and extract himself from the car. He paused at the entry way to the apartment, watching Johnny come after him and unable to keep the anticipatory smile off his face. Tonight had been a good night. And it showed all signs of getting better.

 


	3. mōliēmur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> moliemur: Latin  
> we will undertake, stir up

 

“Boss!” One of the lower ranked Saints burst into the room where Tai and Johnny were hunched over a table, maps annotated with Tai's chicken-scratch handwriting spread out in front of them. The rest of the table was covered in wrappers from Freckle Bitch's and empty pop cans, the result of what felt like an eternity of trying to figure out how exactly to stop Ultor from undoing what had taken the Saints months to achieve.

“What?!” Tai managed not to snarl at the kid; he was only doing his job and it wasn't his fault that they'd kept running into a wall.

“There's a guy from Ultor who wants to see you!” the kid's voice almost broke on the word Ultor, indignation and confusion in every word. Johnny looked at Tai, an eyebrow raised.

“The fuck's Ultor want with us?” Johnny grumbled and Tai agreed. They'd already had Vogel trying to force them into helping him, they didn't need yet another corporate asshole telling them what to do.

Tai didn't answer, just placed his pistol on the table, making sure there was a round chambered. “Search him and send him in.” The kid left and Tai shrugged at Johnny's expression. “Kill him if he tries anything.” Johnny nodded and placed his own pistol on the table, keeping his hand ghosting over it as the Ultor man was escorted in.

Tai had to bite back the laugh that threatened to bubble up out of his throat when he realised who the man actually was. The poacher from the alley all those weeks ago. A glance at the man's face showed that he recognized the two of them as well. Doing his best not to give anything away, Tai waved a hand at the kid, dismissing him and leaving Johnny and him alone with the businessman poacher.

The poacher took a deep breath, smoothing his face into a businessman's mask. “Hello,” his voice was remarkably calm, “I want to help you kill Dane Vogel.”

Tai's smile was knife-edged as he looked back at the man, taking in the expensive suit and tie, the gold watch wrapped around his wrist. “And you are?”

To his credit, the man only barely paused, before recovering and extending a hand to Tai. “Richard Santos,” his voice was smooth enough that he was either an accomplished liar, or he was telling the truth. Taking a gamble, Tai took the man- Richard's- hand and met his eyes, using more pressure in the handshake than what was totally necessary.

“Tai Lau. And that's Johnny Gat. Let's talk.” Tai sat back down, not caring if Mr. Richard Santos did the same. “Start by telling us everything you know.”

Richard took a seat, seemingly unbothered by the detritus around him, and began giving away company secrets like his life depended on it. It quite possibly did.

 


	4. deūrimus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> deurimus: Latin  
> we consume

“And that's the extent of what I know.” Rick (not Richard- he'd been very insistent on that, said being called Richard made him sound like a 40 year old with male pattern baldness who couldn't get it up) finished up, after having told them everything he knew about Ultor, Ultor's plans, Ultor's security systems, Dane Vogel's schedule, and any other bit of information about Ultor that might come in handy. Rick had gotten more confident as he spoke, seemingly putting the incident in the alleyway behind him. He had an easy way of speaking, using his hands to illustrate points, talking as though he weren't surrounded by dangerous people that could and would kill him at a minute's notice. He also had a sense of humor, several of the things he'd said over the course of the hour and a half had made Tai snort in amusement, or even, on one occasion, actually let out a bark of laughter.

Just as Tai was about to speak, to ask Rick some follow-up questions, his stomach growled. Unsurprising, considering he hadn't eaten anything other than caffeine in almost a day, but still annoying.

Rick raised an eyebrow. “Wanna grab something to eat? We can discuss this over dinner,” he gestured to the table of maps and half-formed plans, the motion bringing his watch into view. He glanced at it, “or possibly breakfast.”

Not bothering to look at Johnny, Tai nodded. “Sounds good. I know a place not too far from here that should be open.” Tai didn't say anything else, just stood up, grabbing his gun and tucking it in his waistband as he left the room. The three of them rode up in the elevator, the silence stretching thin between them, and shattering when Tai saw Rick's car. “A Solar? Seriously?” Tai would have expected a man like Rick to have something fast and flashy, not a hybrid.

“It's got good gas mileage!” Rick dug the keys out of his pocket, only to toss them to Tai. “You're driving. That is, if you can reach the pedals.”

“Y'know, I've killed for less,” Tai said as he slid into the driver's seat.

“So have I,” Rick shrugged, sliding in next to Tai and buckling his seatbelt. Johnny got into the back seat, grumbling under his breath about having to sit in the back.

Tai ignored both Johnny and several traffic laws as he drove to the diner, grinning at the way Rick tensed every time he took a corner too fast. Finally, they arrived at the diner, a glowing beacon in the night, the only place open for at least several blocks.

The diner was small and old, cracked vinyl booths and weathered formica tables, old stained photos on the walls and chipped tile floors. It was also open 24/7 and had hot, albeit greasy, food and decent coffee. The bell on the door jingled as they entered, the only person in the diner the waitress. She was a young woman, bubblegum pink lips and a smile that was just on the false side of perky as she told them her name was Jacki and that today's specials included a chili-dog meal for just two dollars as she handed them their menus. They shuffled into a booth, Tai and Johnny on one side, Rick on the other.

The menu was printed on cheap paper, worn grey through use, countless fingers handling it through the years. Idly, Rick pointed out the burgers on it, sounding fascinated as he listed off the ingredients on some of them.

“Who puts peanut butter on a burger?”

“It's not _that_ bad.”

“Yeah, he's put worse in his mouth.” Johnny smirked, causing Tai to punch him on the shoulder.

Before Rick could say anything, the bell jingled again and a haggard looking man staggered in, all threadbare clothes and five-day beard. Even from across the diner Tai could smell the alcohol.

The drunk ignored the waitress, but took one look at the three of them sitting together and swore loudly, a grimace made of pure hatred crossing his face as he called them “fuckin' fags,” instantly going on a rant about homosexuality and how they were disgusting abominations in the eyes of God.

Rick tensed at the words, jaw tightening and face going carefully blank. Tai didn't need to say anything as he looked at Johnny, then at Rick, the air electric between the three of them. Rick's eyes were dark, furious even, as they listened to the drunk continue his tirade, damning everyone that didn't fit his narrow definition of morality to an eternity of pain and hellfire. A minute nod was all they needed to come to a conclusion of how the night would end. Almost as soon as the three of them were in silent agreement, the chef, a heavy-set man with a permanently red face came out from the kitchen, firmly telling the drunk to leave or he'd be forced to call the cops. The drunk did, swearing that they were all sodomites and doomed to burn.

The three of them were gone before the waitress could apologize, leaving the diner. Tai's bones buzzed underneath his skin, and he could not keep the predator's grin off his face as they slunk into the shadows. The drunk was stumbling down the sidewalk, stopping to damn something or someone every five feet, voice loud and slurred as he decried the whoredom of America. He tripped on a loose piece of asphalt, falling to the ground with a curse. Tai darted forward, out of the shadows, to stand just in the drunk's range of vision, long enough for the drunk to register he was there. Just as the drunk began moving his head to get a better look at Tai, Rick struck, kicking the man in the back of the head, hard enough that the man went limp instantly.

“So,” Rick said, voice dark, looking at the body, “your place or mine?”

 


	5. lētum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> letum: Latin  
> violent death, annihilation, killing  
> ruin

The drunk woke slowly, groaning and trying to move. When he couldn't, he then woke very quickly, pulling at the chains that were wrapped around his wrists and ankles, keeping him almost upright, a profane crucifixion. His eyes were wide, searching the basement of the abandoned warehouse he was in with growing panic. Laughing, Tai stepped out of the shadows, a knife held loosely in his hand, Rick standing next to him, mirroring his posture. The drunk's eyes widened further then narrowed as he came to the realization of who was standing before him.

He opened his mouth, obviously preparing to swear at them, only for Johnny to press his knife against the drunk's throat from behind.

“I really wouldn't talk if I were you,” Rick's voice was casual, genial even as he stared impassively at the drunk.

“Fuck you!” the drunk spat, voice echoing in the empty shell of the basement.

“Take his tongue,” Rick ordered.

“Wait.” Tai interrupted before Johnny could move. “I'll heat the knife first.” Rick nodded and Tai made his way behind the drunk, not missing how the drunk did his best to keep his eyes on Tai as Tai moved, unable to keep the smirk off his face at the fear in the drunk's eyes.

Behind the drunk, there was a large worktable covered in a variety of blades, in every shape and size imaginable, each one clean and gleaming in the scant illumination provided by the bare light bulbs. Tai hovered his hand over them, trying to decide exactly which one to use, having already placed the one he had been holding in the table, the thunk of the metal meeting the wood just loud enough to cause the drunk to tense further, chains rattling as he did. Finally he chose a small blade, thin and wicked looking, with a dark wooden handle. He grabbed it and the small blowtorch, more suitable for pastry chefs than what he wanted, but it would do in a pinch, from the table, making his way back to the front.

He stood back in front of the drunk, making sure he had the drunk's full attention as he used the blowtorch to heat the blade of the knife. The blade glowed cherry red as Johnny held the drunk still, despite his desperate struggles to get away from the blade that Tai was slowly bringing closer and closer to his face. The drunk's chains rattled with his struggles and Tai had had enough. He placed the blowtorch down on the stained concrete and struck the man across the face, hard enough to daze. Taking advantage of it, Johnny one handedly held the drunk's mouth open, allowing Tai to cut the drunk's tongue out with brutal efficiency.

The smell of burning flesh filled Tai's nose as the drunk thrashed in his chains, a wordless, mindless scream bursting forth, the sounds of an animal in pain echoing through the basement. Tai stepped back to stand next to Rick once more, the cooling knife in one hand, the drunk's tongue in the other, offering both of them to him in an instinctual motion of tribute. Gods are made of blood and death, and in this moment it was hard to tell which was which. Rick took the tongue, cursorily examining it before tossing it to the side. Instead, he took the knife from Tai's hand and stepped forward, the grin on his face containing all the mirth of a skull. Tai watched intently, the ache in his bones subsiding as Rick moved with a deadly grace, the knife an extension of his soul as he cut, painting with blood and pain.

This was the beginning of something new, something wonderful, something terrible, and Tai couldn't keep the grin off his face. This was how it should be.

 


	6. ūrimus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uriumus: Latin  
> we burn, inflame

Tai stared at the broken and bloody body of the drunk, at the way the red of his blood and the white of his bones glistened in the light of the dirty light bulbs. A ragged gurgle escaped the ruin of the drunk's face, pure agony distilled into a single sound. It was beautiful. Johnny and Rick stood on either side of him, in similar silent admiration of the sight. The drunk went limp and Tai let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding.

Beside him, Rick was shifting, drawing ever closer to Tai, one hand finding its way to grasp one of Tai's, fingers interlacing, grip just tight enough to be noticeable. Tai squeezed back as the drunk gave one final death rattle, the sound just loud enough to have a hint of an echo. Johnny moved languidly, contently, as he released the body from the chains that were holding it up, sending it falling to the stained and scorched floor. Casually, Johnny picked up the body and dragged it to the tarp laying on the ground.

“Y'know, you _could_ help.”

Tai released Rick's hand, doing his best to ignore how empty his hand now felt. Instead, he grabbed the feet of the body as Johnny grabbed the shoulders, hoisting it onto the tarp and wrapping it with an efficiency borne of long practice. The two of them picked up the tarp, carrying up the several flights of stairs and out the back door, into the weed-ridden lot behind the warehouse where'd they stashed Rick's car. Rick grabbed up a few items before following them, popping the trunk to his car as he drew closer. Tai and Johnny shoved the body into the trunk of the car, only barely able to get it to fit.

They got into the front, Rick silently got into the back, folding his long legs up to actually fit. Wordlessly, Tai drove them to the outskirts of the city, buildings growing more and more dilapidated as they progressed. The only light was the occasional streetlight, each one far and few between. As he drove, the air grew heavy with anticipation, each of them sneaking glances at the other before looking away.

Tai finally pulled into a side street, and turned off the car. In front of them was an abandoned courtyard, covered in rubble and graffiti, a falling down chain link fence attempting to keep people out. Johnny had shown him this place years ago, back when he was just some kid with blood on his hands and a desire for more. The three of them got out of the car, Tai deliberately brushing against Rick as they drug the body out of the trunk.

“Damnit, you got blood on the upholstery.”

“Bitch, bitch, bitch.” Tai mocked, aware of Johnny grabbing the gas can from the back seat. They dumped the body in the middle of the courtyard, Johnny dousing it with gas and Tai tossing the match. The body ignited almost instantly, the scent of charred flesh growing thick in the murky night air.

Rick's hand found it's way to Tai's again, gripping it comfortingly tight, as they watched the body burn. Johnny threw a possessive arm over Tai's shoulder, the weight just heavy enough to be on the cozy side of confining.

The three of them stayed like that for a long time, long enough for the fire to die down into embers.

“We should get going,” Rick slowly released Tai's hand again. “Vogel'll have my ass if he thinks I'm slipping.”

“Wouldn't want that.”

“Yeah, it's our ass now.” Johnny chimed in, the smirk on his face visible even in the near dark.

“C'mon,” Tai said, extracting himself from Johnny, “we'll drive ya home.”

“You mean I'll drive you home. Unless you wanna walk?”

“Fine,” Tai rolled his eyes as he spoke, handing the keys over to Rick, deliberately letting his fingers drag across Rick's palm as he did. Before Rick could do anything, Tai got into the passenger seat again relegating Johnny to the backseat.

The drive back was uneventful, Rick didn't break any traffic laws or even go more than 5 miles above the speed limit, which rather defeated the whole purpose of driving in Tai's opinion. He said as much, as well as giving Rick the occasional direction to his apartment.

“I don't want to drive too fast. That's breaking the law,” Rick said, eyes earnestly wide as he flicked on his turn signal, taking a corner responsibly slow. Tai laughed, smiling as they approached his apartment. Rick pulled up in front of it, an inscrutable expression on his face.

“You live _here?_ ”

Tai just shrugged. “When I don't just kip at HQ, yeah.” Rick rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else as Tai and Johnny exited the car.

“I'll be in contact soon with more info about Vogel's plans. Or if you want to get dinner again...?” Rick trailed off, leaving the offer hanging in the air.

Tai grinned again. “Dinner huh? Sounds great. I'll let ya know.” Rick grinned back at him, not saying anything else as he drove away. Tai waited until the taillights had disappeared before speaking.

“I think we'll keep him.”

 


	7. nex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nex: Latin  
> murder, slaughter, massacre  
> violent death

Tai Lau, the Boss of the Saints, sat next to Rick, both of them watching Johnny stalk across the room, a newspaper clutched in his hand and a predator's grin on his face. “Fuckin' finally!” The headline screamed 'Stilwater Slashers? New Evidence Suggests Multiple Killers' The article was filled with barely contained fear and horror as the realization that there were in fact, multiple serial killers working in tandem sank in. “Took 'em long enough!”

Tai smiled as Rick leaned against him, an arm coming to an easy rest across Rick's shoulders, quietly content. The city was theirs to play with as they desired, the Saints were in control and Ultor was in their corner.

“Y'know,” he said, drawing the words out slowly, “we should confirm it, no?”

He felt, more than saw Rick smile as the other man shifted down to kiss him, “Let's paint the town red.”

Tai smiled again, sharper this time, his expression mirrored by the other two. The world was theirs. Life was good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I finally finished a multi-chapter work. Somehow I don't feel proud about this.


End file.
